Soil Foodweb Inc. services

The lab measuring the life in your soil

A good compost tea can be used to increase the numbers of beneficial microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes) in your soil and provide food for the existing soil foodweb. The ratio of the microorganisms in the tea can be modified by the way the tea is made. So compost teas can be used as a soil drench to alter the balance of microorganisms in the soil to that which gives optimal growth and yield for a particular plant or crop. Teas can also be used as a foliar spray to build up the foodweb on the leaves. This provides extra nutrients to the plant, and also to prevent the growth of fungal and insect pests ñ a natural fungicide and pesticide.

The manufacturers listed are part of our ongoing Compost Tea Quality Assurance program. This involves initially testing three batches of compost tea to check for consistency, and then testing every three months or more frequently for high throughput manufacturers. As microorganisms can vary in biological products, compost teas that are tested more frequently with consistent results may be more reliable.